ESB eCars

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119237985#Comment_119237985

I just find it very amusing about how our fine government refuses to fund a lot of stuff becuase we're a "free market" economy, and then they hand out monopoly like control over the EV charging network to a semi-state enterprise

Not that the UK is much better, the only difference there is that the contract gets handed out to whoever is the biggest donor to the Tory party

Anyway...it would be nice if the powers that be would ackowledge that the current system gives Ecars too much power and control over the network and future development

Black_Knight

So half way through the year and what have ecars delivered in 2022? A couple of replacements in NI. A "hub" in Monaghan. Anything else?

2022 has to be their worst year of progress in a while now.

DrPhilG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119240444#Comment_119240444

Don't forget those replacement DC chargers up north are restricted to 25kW while someone is using the AC side (which is usually all day).

kanuseeme

Did any one else even bother? Tesla, Ionity ?

If I was paying for the electricity, you can be sure that you will get less than 25 kw.

Old diesel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119240444#Comment_119240444

Amber petrol station in Fermoy????.

The supermacs plaza in Tuam???.

AndyBoBandy

Mayfield, their only Tier 1 hub to date is 13 months old in 2 weeks.

A SuperCharger in the SE and I’d never have to bother with eCars again…. (And maybe for most too if they are opened up here!!)

liamog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119240444#Comment_119240444

Thinks it's 4 hubs so far, Monaghan, Fermoy, Tuam and Limerick, and at least they're rolling out with more CCS chargers than they were last year.

mfceiling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119241264#Comment_119241264

I'm a bit annoyed with their use of the term hub. The one in Monaghan has one high powered charger beside a 50kw one. However there are only 3 parking spaces. You get 2 people on the 50 and the high powered one can only facilitate one car. Depending on the charge port placement it could theoretically knock out another car and only allow 2 cars to charge.

innrain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119240444#Comment_119240444

Correspondingly over 30% of the total EV lot got registered this year, over 62% in the last 18 months and 88.4% since the beginning of 2019 when the 10+10M investment in the ecars network has been announced. It is better than 2019 although got very expensive soon, for me the most expensive network on the island

liamog

I'm a bit annoyed with their use of the term hub.

Having seen coffee machines in offices called refreshment hubs, the word is essentially meaningless. In eCars parlance it's 2 or more discrete DC chargers. Arguing with them on is it one of those things that aren't worth any energy. I'd much rather give them feedback on removing the AC22 sockets from hubs than them changing the name from hub to something else.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119241359#Comment_119241359

Hub, more like stub, am I right? 😁

It's okay, I'll show myself out...

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119241264#Comment_119241264

I'm not familiar with the others but the "hub" in Limerick is only 3 DC and 1 AC which replaced an earlier EFACEC unit... Is this really a hub by ESB standards?

liamog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119243546#Comment_119243546

Having seen coffee machines in offices called refreshment hubs, the word is essentially meaningless. In eCars parlance it's 2 or more discrete DC chargers. Arguing with them on is it one of those things that aren't worth any energy. I'd much rather give them feedback on removing the AC22 sockets from hubs than them changing the name from hub to something else.

At the end of the day whether it's called a hub or something else is meaningless but it's a hill a lot of people seem to want to die on.

DrPhilG

2 years later, dozens of fault reports, and the only 50kW charger in Derry remains bollixed.

And this is the best eCars can muster.

I understand its a really difficult situation, and a stinker to recreate, but how about take any 50kW capable EV to the charger, and just maybe, plug it in?

Black_Knight

So ecars finally build a site with 4 parking spaces for 2 units! They're bloody 50kW units with AC charging. Close ecars, but ye still screwed it up.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119338868#Comment_119338868

Where's that?

AndyBoBandy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119338868#Comment_119338868

They said in their fb post that there was no AC at these chargers…. So I asked if the CCS & CHAdeMO could be used simultaneously (seeing as there’s 4 spaces) and am still awaiting a response.

Kind Regards,

AndyBoBandy

…!

the_amazing_raisin

Give them some credit, I mean it only took 3 years for Ecars to realise that 2*2=4 spaces and not 3

Frankly after all that effort I think they all need a holiday 😏

DrPhilG

They're insisting to me that the new 50kW units up north don't throttle the DC charge when someone is on AC.

They admit they're load sharing, but that a DC charge will only drop to 43kw if the AC is taking 7kW.

Reality is that the DC drops to 24kW or so if anyone is on AC.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119339014#Comment_119339014

I thought there was a software update or config change which stopped that?

Some of the newer DC units weren't updated AFAIK so they still drop the DC by 22kW, but newer ones have been patched

Or are those the older 50kW units I'm thinking about?

slave1

Putting in 50kW chargers in 2022, betting than nothing but in no way looking to the future never mind today's cars, most of which can charge way past the 50 mark

TitianGerm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119339784#Comment_119339784

50KW chargers 100% have a place in the charging network. They are a perfect solution where people would typically spend up to an hour at a time.

Car parks in every town should have some available as they can be used for 45 minutes while people pop into local shops, grab some lunch, go to mass or the doctors etc.

AndyBoBandy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119339884#Comment_119339884

I’m not disagreeing with you, but in terms of priorities, I think more faster units should be installed nationwide before they go saturating Galway with DC chargers.

Loughrea now has more eCars DC chargers than the entire county of Waterford.

Black_Knight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119339884#Comment_119339884

But this isn't one of those locations. This is a pitstop location where most will want as much energy as they can in the shortest period of time. I agree that shopping centres, parks, gyms etc are good locations for 50kW DC (even less tbh), but this site isn't one of those.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119338991#Comment_119338991

But as mentioned, only 2 can charge at a time. I don't think those Circontrol Raption 50 units load balance DC. So as mentioned, 1 for charging, 1 for waiting. Or just go to Galway plaza.

Pity. It's a perfect layout for those dual socket double sided 200kW units we've seen recently (Tuam for example). Perhaps the forecourt owner was just more forgiving and proactive with their parking space allocation.

KildareP

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119339784#Comment_119339784

Interested to know, are they hardware limited to 50kW or just soft limited due to a lack of incoming supply capacity?

TitianGerm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119339914#Comment_119339914

If every town has more than one 50KW charger then that makes the network a lot easier to navigate and reduces wait times for the end user. These would be of more benefit than the odd 150KW dotted around the country.

Take County Wexford for example, there's one 50KW outside Wexford town and one further down the road towards Rosslare (adding a 150KW beside this for people heading to the boat would be a good idea). There's one 50KW in Enniscorthy. There's one 50KW in Gorey and one at the motorway SS (Ionity located here as well).

Considering the size of both Wexford and Gorey especially it both should have at least three dual 50KW bays in different locations around the town's.

For your example of Waterford and looking at the City the best option I could see would be dual 50KW bays as follows: Harvey Norman, SuperValu on the Tramore Road, People's Park, Quays and then another near Clearboy.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119339992#Comment_119339992

You need both, 50kW hubs in towns for longer stops or people who live locally but don't have charging at home

150kW+ units should be at intercity stops every 50km along main routes for quick charging stops on the go

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119339937#Comment_119339937

100% agree on the 2x 200kW units, that should be the baseline for Ecars installations from now on

TitianGerm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119340023#Comment_119340023

Yes the 150KW should be installed as well but if you don't have the 50KW chargers as a base then people will drive to the nearest 150KW to top up and block that stall on those travelling intercity who may actually need that charger to complete the journey.